What Is Field Point?

Field Point: definition

Also called: practice tip, target point, practice point, bullet point

A field point is a bladeless, usually bullet-shaped tip that screws into the insert at the front of a bolt. It is made for practice and target shooting, and it is safer to handle and retrieve from a target than a bladed tip. Common weights are 100 and 125 grains, and the REEGOX review lists a removable 125-grain target point.

The point of a field point is predictability. It lets you check your scope zero and your form without risking a bladed head, and it gives you a baseline to compare with a broadhead. If you plan to hunt, the field point should match the broadhead in weight so that the two are as close as possible in flight.

Field points also vary in construction. Some are one-piece steel, some are aluminum and some are removable tips that thread into a collar. All of them still depend on a straight thread and a tight fit in the insert.

Matching tip weights

Field point versus broadhead for practice

Why Field Point matters

Practice with a tip that behaves like the one you will hunt with. Mismatched weights move your point of impact, and you may learn that only in the field. Matching the weight of a field point to a broadhead is the simplest way to keep your zero.

Field points also protect your equipment and your targets. Bladed tips damage targets quickly and are harder to pull out safely, so a practice tip saves money and reduces risk when you shoot many bolts in a session.

How to read it on a spec sheet

• Check the weight in grains and compare it with the broadhead you plan to use.
• Look at the thread size and make sure it matches your insert.
• Note whether the tip is fixed or removable. Removable tips let you swap heads on the same bolt.
• Check the material. Steel tends to last longer, aluminum is lighter.
• Read the bolt weight as inclusive of the tip it names, for example 400 grains with a 100-grain field tip.

Common mistakes

• Practicing with a field point lighter or heavier than your broadhead and assuming your zero holds.
• Over-tightening a tip until it damages the insert.
• Reusing a tip with bent or damaged threads.
• Shooting into a target not rated for crossbow speed, which can damage both target and bolt.
• Ignoring wear. A burred tip can change flight slightly.

Compare field point and broadhead flight

1. Zero your scope with the field point at your shortest chosen distance.
2. Shoot a five-bolt group at that distance and record where it lands.
3. Swap to your chosen broadhead at the same weight, and shoot another five-bolt group.
4. Measure the distance between the centres of the two groups.
5. Adjust your sighting or choose a different broadhead if the difference is too large for your purpose.

In my testing

In my broadhead reviews I compare the broadhead's flight with field points from the same crossbow at matched distances. The Nemesis and the R102 both flew like my field points in those tests. How I test.

See it in our reviews

• Reegox Crossbow Bolts — rated 3.9/5
• Ravin R133 Lighted Arrows — rated 4.5/5
• TenPoint Nemesis Broadhead — rated 4.6/5